How to Get as Off the Grid as Possible

To go off the grid is a term that simply means to separate yourself from all external and government controlled sources of water and power and become as self sufficient as possible. This is mainly done by people that have strong environmental beliefs and concerns, and want to use as little energy as possible in order to do what they believe to be their part in the protection of our surroundings. Towards that end, they strive to completely switch over to renewable sources of energy. Of course, there are also political, social and monetary reasons as to why some people would do this, but regardless of the reason, if anyone wants to try and attempt this honestly massive undertaking, then they will need to do a few things.

The most important thing that you will need to get is a generator and a way to power it. This isn’t much of a problem since home solar and wind power stations are very easy to set up, and are still increasing in efficiency as time goes by. In fact, if you just get a double generator set-up and an Ac transfer switch, you will be able to power your house with both. The Ac transfer switch is basically a device which can switch automatically between two different power sources. It is a must have device if you are planning on running on off-grid power sources and don’t want to manually switch the extension leads every time one generator runs out of power unexpectedly.

The most difficult part of trying to become self-reliant is trying to find a natural water source. If you have enough luck to have such a thing on your land or somewhere near by in the form of a well or a river, then there isn’t a problem. However, if there is no such source in your vicinity, you will have to resort to water collection and purification devices, or otherwise reconsider disconnecting your initial water supply.

Another thing you can take care of yourself, is your food supply. Regardless if you want to have a garden with only vegetables and fruit, or one with a chicken coop and pig pen, the beginning will always be the most difficult part. But, all you really need to do is make sure your plants are getting enough water and sun, and keep your animals well fed and healthy. Granted, that is more easily said than done, but over time you are sure to develop a habit for it until it becomes like second nature.

Finally, the last thing you can do is to start designing and creating your own clothes. They can be made out of natural fibres of your choosing, and have your own style and taste incorporated into them, which is not only an environmentally friendly thing to do, but a fun activity as well.

The bottom line is that whether you want to become completely independent, or you would just like the government not to meddle in certain things, there are a lot of reasons to become self-reliant and a lot of means that can help you to stay that way.